Roll-up corrugated steel roofing sheet material

ABSTRACT

A resilient corrugated building sheet having three or more plys of corrugated thin sheets secured together so that crests of one ply rests on the reverse crest of the contiguous ply, the crests of contiguous plys being the mirror image of each other thereby forming a plurality of open ended cells in parallel relationship. Each end of the cell is closed by an end plate, the end plates of each cell being interconnected by a tie to prevent displacement. The top ply is provided along one edge with an overhanging corrugation while the opposite edge is formed with a longitudinal socket. A plurality of sheets can be fitted together for roofing a building, a floor, decks for bridges, etc. For increased strength, the sheets can be formed in secondary corrugations and/or by filling the cells with a plastic material, formed in the cells or alternatively, with insulating material such as lightweight concrete.

llnite States Patent Robinsky [54] ROLL-UP CORRUGATED STEEL ROOFINGSHEET MATERIAL [76] Inventor: Eli I. Robinsky, 66 Lytton Boulevard,Toronto, Ontario, Canada [22] Filed: Dec. 6, 1971 [21] Appl. No.:204,875

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 12, 1971 Canada ..1 17,912

[52] U.S. Cl. ..52/108, 52/223, 52/618, 52/537, 52/625, 52/627, 206/59 G[51] Int. Cl. ..E04d 5/10 [58] Field of Search ..52/l08, 222, 223,52/521, 526, 537, 618, 624, 625, 627, 630,

11 3,732,656 1 May 15, 1973 Primary ExaminerJohn E. Murtagh AssistantExaminer-John R. Masterman Attorney- George H. Riches [57] ABSTRACT Aresilient corrugated building sheet having three or more plys ofcorrugated thin sheets secured together so that crests of one ply restson the reverse crest of the contiguous ply, the crests of contiguousplys being the mirror image of each other thereby forming a plurality ofopen ended cells in parallel relationship. Each end of the cell isclosed by an end plate, the end plates of each cell being interconnectedby a tie to prevent displacement. The top ply is provided along one edgewith an overhanging corrugation while the opposite edge is formed with alongitudinal socket. A plurality of sheets can be fitted together forroofing a building, a floor, decks for bridges, etc. For increasedstrength, the sheets can be formed in secondary corrugations and/or byfilling the cells with a plastic material, formed in the cells oralternatively, with insulating material such as lightweight concrete.

9 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED MAY! Fl 732.656

SHEET 1 BF 3 ROLL-UP CORRUGATED STEEL ROOFING SHEET MATERIAL BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a resilient corrugatedbuilding sheet having three or more plys corrugated thin sheets securedtogether and which can be delivered to the construction site in arolled-up condition for easy transport.

In my prior patents, U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,685 dated Sept. 16, 1969 andits Canadian counterpart, Pat. No. 813,558 dated May 27, 1969 and alsoin my US. Pat. No. 3,528,543 dated Sept. 15, 1970 and its Canadiancounterpart, Pat. No. 810,367 dated Apr. 15, 1969, I have describedroll-up structures which are particularly useful for constructingbridges, decks and other structures. The present invention constitutesan improvement on the prior patents and is particularly useful as aroofing material, for decks, floors and many other similar purposeswhich will be obvious to a person skilled in the building andconstruction trades.

The sheet structure of the present invention when used as roofingmaterial, etc. and the like, is very light compared to heavyconventional roof structures.

Once the sheet is unrolled and placed in position, it can then be pumpedfull of insulating or structural materials and may be formed into slabs,decks, floors, arches, etc. When additional strength is required,additional secondary corrugations can be created by cables, ashereinafter described.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a resilient,corrugated, laminated building sheet comprising:

a. a top ply, a bottom ply and at least one intermediate plytherebetween, said plys being formed of corrugated flexible resilientthin sheets, the crests of contiguous plys being the mirror image ofeach other whereby respective crests are in contact to thereby form openended cells therebetween;

b. end plates covering opposite open ends of said cells;

c. a tie interconnecting the end plates and securing said plates inposition against displacement;

d. an overlapping corrugation along one edge of the top ply adapted tooverlie an oppositely disposed marginal corrugation of an abutted sheet,and

e. a longitudinal socket in the opposite edge, said socket being formedby the overlying edges of the bottom ply and the adjacent intermediateply.

The features of the invention will now be described with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the laminated building sheet of the invention in apartly rolled state;

FIG. 2 illustrates a pair of sheets in abutting overlappingrelationship;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view to show the connection between the overhangof one sheet to the underlying part of an abutting sheet;

FIG. 5 is a'view showing the sheet being used as a deck;

FIG. 6 illustrates the manner in which a number of sheets, in abuttingoverlapping relationship, can be formed into an arch;

FIG. 7 illustrates the manner in which a number of sheets in abuttingoverlapping relationship can be given secondary corrugations;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the cables and clamping meansshown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a prefabricated sheet being rolled up with the corrugationsparallel to the axis of rotation; and

FIG. 10 shows the prefabricated sheet illustrated in FIG. 9 in a flatcondition with two individual sheets joined permanently together.

FIG. 1 shows the building sheet with the corrugations runningtangentially to the cylindrical roll. FIGS. 2 to 8 show a roof made upof several sheets in abutting edge-to-edge relationship and securedtogether as illustrated.

A complete roof can be fabricated in a factory and shipped to theconstruction site in a rolled up condition. The prefabricated roof canbe of indefinite length, the length, of course, being limited by theload carrying capacity and bridge clearance on the road which thetransport is to traverse, and the width of the sheet is limited only bythe transportation restrictions in load length (presently about 72feet). This can be accomplished by rolling the prefabricated, integrallyjoined sheet with the corrugation running parallel to the axis of theroll. This is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.

In FIG. 9 and 10, the parts which correspond to the same parts of FIGS.1 through 8 are given corresponding numbers. The pin and slotarrangement which is shown in FIGS. 2 and 10 is omitted. In lieutherefor corrugation overhangs 17,17a are shortened as shown in FIG. 10at 17b. The overlapping abutting edges 17b,17c and l4a,14c of a pair ofindividual sheets (see FIG. 10) are permanently joined, in the factory,either spot welding or riveting. In FIG. 10 they are shown as being spotwelded as indicated by the number 30.

FIG. 9 diagrammatically shows a prefabricated sheet, composed of aplurality of individual sheets joined together all their abutting edges,as hereindescribed, rolled-up onto a power driven roll 31 with thecorrugations parallel to the axis of rotation. A supplemental roller 32rotatably mounted on an axis parallel to the axis of the roll 31 andfrictionally engaging with prefabricated sheet being wound-up. Theroller 32 is mounted soas to initially press the corrugations flat atthe commencement of the roll-up and also move radially in a directionaway from roll 31 as the diameter of the rolled-up sheet increases.

It is pointed out that the roller 32 is not essential because thecorrugations will flatten automatically as they are wound. However, theroller 32 does assist the rollup operation.

When rolled as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 the rolled-up sheet can betransported to the building site. If being used for roofing as shown inFIGS. 5 through 8, the sheet can be crane lifted in the rolled-up stateto the roof and when in position released to assume its flat position.

The building sheet is generally indicated by the letter A and is shownas partly rolled-up into a roll indicated by the letter B. It isdelivered to a building site in a rolled-up condition as illustrated inFIG. 1 and is then unrolled to assume a flat state as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 illustrates two sheets A and Al butted together to show detailsof construction and the manner of using the sheet to form a structuresuch as a roof,

floor, bridge, deck and the like. Each sheet is constructed in the samemanner and therefore it is necessary to describe in detail, only sheetA, but for the purpose of distinction, the corresponding parts of sheetAI will be given a distinguishing reference character. The sheets A, A1each comprise at least three plys, top plys 10,10a, bottom plys 11, 11a,and at least one intermediate ply each 12, 12a, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each sheet is oblong in shape with thecorrugations running in the direction of the long axis. The dimensionsof each sheet will depend on the specific type of construction and thespecifications as prepared by the engineers of the construction. Thelength of each sheet can be 50 feet or more and possibly 6 feet inwidth.

The three plys 10,11,12 are laid on each other with the corrugations ofone ply being reversed with respect to the contiguous sheet so thattheir respective troughs and crests are in contact thus permitting thethree plys to be permanently secured together by rivets 13 (13a in thecase of sheet Al). The Bottom ply l1 and the contiguous intermediate ply12 have corrugations 14,15 respectively along one longitudinal edge toform a socket 16. The other longitudinal edge of each sheet has anoverhanging corrugation 17 (and sheet A1 overhangs 17a) which willoverlap the longitudinal marginal edge of an abutted sheet. It will thusbe seen from FIG. 2, that when sheet A1 is butted against sheet A,corrugation overhang 17a overlies the longitudinal marginal corrugationof sheet A, with the underlying leading edge 18a fitted into socket 16.In this manner, there is obtained a leak-proof joint between abuttingsheets.

Between the respective crests and troughs, are cells 19 which may befilled, after the sheet has been fixed in its prescribed position, withinsulating material expanded in situ, or other material for addingstrength to the structure. In order to permit the material to completelyfill all the cells, all intermediate plys are provided withperforations, such as perforations 20a (sheet A has similar perforationsbut they cannot be seen) to allow the cell filling, if any, to penetrateall cells.

To provide a means for connecting the overhang 17 to the underlying partof an abutted sheet, the overhang 17 is provided, along the marginaledge, with a plurality of keyholes 21 which receive complemental pins22, see FIG. 4.

The open ends of the cells are closed by end plates 23,24 which areinterconnected by cables 25 (only one is shown). Each cable may be held,under tension, in position by wedges 26,27 driven into the end plates.

FIG. shows the assembled sheets used as a floor. In this case, thesheets are supported on walls 40,44 and are covered by flooringmaterial, such as plywood 42 which can be conveniently secured to thesheet. The sheet A is given a slight camber by tightening the tie rod25, previously described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-3, until thedesired camber is obtained.

FIGS. 6,7 and 8 illustrate the sheets being formed into arches andsecondary corrugations. As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 6, thisis accomplished by fastening a cable 28 to two spaced apart pins 29,30located on the bottom plys of assembled sheets. Similarly, the crests ofadjoining secondary corrugations are connected by cables. For example,in FIG. 6, only one secondary corrugation is shown with two cables 8,9running respectively to the right and left. Cable 8 has its right endfastened to the left crest of the illustrated corrugation and itsopposite end will be joined to the right crest of the adjoining crest(not shown). Similarly, cable 9 is connected to the right crest of thesecondary corrugation shown and the left crest of the adjoiningsecondary corrugation (not shown to the right. The cables 8,9 and 28thus cooperate to maintain the secondary corrugations in their fixedposition. The spacing is determined by the size of the arch or secondarycorrugation desired and then tightening the cable until the sheets arebowed to the desired amount. As will be seen in FIG. 7, the archedsheets can be retained in this position by links 31 which are connectedto pins 32,33 which are secured to the crests of the arch. These may bereplaced by a cable 34 which spans the sheet and is connected to thecrests of the arches by a plurality of clamps, at least one on each,such as clamps 35,36,37,38,39. The cells are then pumped full ofinsulating material such as polyurethane which is foamed in situ, orother lightweight plastics, lightweight concrete etc.

What I claim is:

1. A resilient corrugated laminated building sheet comprising:

a. a top ply, a bottom ply and at least one intermediate plytherebetween, said plys being formed of corrugated flexible resilientmaterial, the crests of contiguous plys being the mirror image of eachother whereby respective crests are in contact forming open ended cellstherebetween;

b. end plates covering opposite open ends of said cells;

c. a tie interconnecting the end plates and securing said plates inposition against displacement;

d. an overlapping corrugation along one edge of the top ply adapted tooverlie an oppositely disposed marginal corrugation of an abutted sheet,and

e. a longitudinal socket in the opposite edge, said socket being formedby the overlying edges of the bottom ply and the adjacent intermediateply.

2. The resilient sheet according to claim 1 including complementalconnecting means on said overlapping corrugation and the underlyingmarginal corrugation of the abutted sheet whereby said sheets areconnected together.

3. The resilient sheet according to claim 1 in which the tie comprises acable adapted to pre-stress said sheet.

4. The resilient sheet according to claim 1 in which the intermediatesheet or sheets are perforated to provide communication betweencontiguous cells.

5. The resilient sheet according to claim 1 including means for creatingmacro-corrugations, said means comprising a plurality of second ties,the second ties having one end connected to the sheet at spaced apartintervals along the length of one of the first mentioned corrugationsand their opposite ends connected to a second corrugation atcorresponding spaced apart intervals, said second corrugation beingseparated from the first corrugation by at least one corrugation, andmeans for progressively shortening the second ties whereby the sheet isbent to form said macrocorrugations.

6. A roll-up resilient corrugated structural member comprising aplurality of sheets integrally joined along their marginal edges, eachsheet consisting essentially of:

a. a top ply, a bottom ply and at least one intermediate plytherebetween, said plys being formed of corrugated flexible resilientmaterial, the crests of contiguous plys being the mirror image of eachother whereby respective crests are in contact forming open ended cellstherebetween;

b. end plates covering opposite open ends of said cells;

c. a tie interconnecting the end plates and securing said plates inposition against displacement;

d. an overlapping corrugation along one edge of the top and bottom pliesadapted to overlie an oppositely disposed marginal corrugation of thetop and bottom plies an abutted sheet; and

e. means permanently connecting the overlapping corrugations of the topand the underlying marginal corrugation of the abutted sheet wherebysaid sheets are connected together.

7. The resilient sheet according to claim 6 in which the tie comprises acable adapted to pre-stress said sheet.

8. The resilient sheet according to claim 6 in which the intermediatesheet or sheets are perforated to provide communication betweencontiguous cells.

9. The resilient sheet according to claim 6 including means for creatingmacro-corrugations, said means comprising a plurality of second ties,the second ties having one end connected to the sheet at spaced apartintervals along the length of one of the first mentioned corrugationsand their opposite ends connected to a second corrugation atcorresponding spaced apart intervals, said second corrugation beingseparated from the first corrugation by at least one corrugation, andmeans for progressively shortening the second ties whereby the sheet isbent to form said macrocorrugations.

1. A resilient corrugated laminated building sheet comprising: a. a topply, a bottom ply and at least one intermediate ply therebetween, saidplys being formed of corrugated flexible resilient material, the crestsof contiguous plys being the mirror image of each other wherebyrespective crests are in contact forming open ended cells therebetween;b. end plates covering opposite open ends of said cells; c. a tieinterconnecting the end plates and securing said plates in positionagainst displacement; d. an overlapping corrugation along one edge ofthe top ply adapted to overlie an oppositely disposed marginalcorrugation of an abutted sheet, and e. a longitudinal socket in theopposite edge, said socket being formed by the overlying edges of thebottom ply and the adjacent intermediate ply.
 2. The resilient sheetaccording to claim 1 including complemental connecting means on saidoverlapping corrugation and the underlying marginal corrugation of theabutted sheet whereby said sheets are connected together.
 3. Theresilient sheet according to claim 1 in which the tie comprises a cableadapted to pre-stress said sheet.
 4. The resilient sheet according toclaim 1 in which the intermediate sheet or sheets are perforated toprovide communication between contiguous cells.
 5. The resilient sheetaccording to claim 1 including means for creating macro-corrugations,said means comprising a plurality of second ties, the second ties havingone end connected to the sheet at spaced apart intervals along thelength of one of the first mentioned corrugations and their oppositeends connected to a second corrugation at corresponding spaced apartintervals, said second corrugation being separated from the firstcorrugation by at least one corrugation, and means for progressivelyshortening the second ties whereby the sheet is bent to form saidmacro-corrugations.
 6. A roll-up resilient corrugated structural membercomprising a plurality of sheets integrally joined along their marginaledges, each sheet consisting essentially of: a. a top ply, a bottom plyand at least one intermediate ply therebetween, said plys being formedof corrugated flexible resilient material, the crests of contiguous plysbeing the mirror image of each other whereby respective crests are incontact forming open ended cells therebetween; b. end plates coveringopposite open ends of said cells; c. a tie interconnecting the endplates and securing said plates in position against displacement; d. anoverlapping corrugation along one edge of the top and bottom pliesadapted to overlie an oppositely disposed marginal corrugation of thetop and bottom plies an abutted sheet; and e. means permanentlyconnecting the overlapping corrugations of the top and the underlyingmarginal corrugation of the abutted sheet whereby said sheets areconnected together.
 7. The resilient sheet according to claim 6 in whichthe tie comprises a cable adapted to pre-stress said sheet.
 8. Theresilient sheet according to claim 6 in which the intermediate sheet orsheets are perforated to provide communication between contiguous cells.9. The resilient sheet according to claim 6 including means for creatingmacro-corrugations, said means comprising a plurality of second ties,the second ties Having one end connected to the sheet at spaced apartintervals along the length of one of the first mentioned corrugationsand their opposite ends connected to a second corrugation atcorresponding spaced apart intervals, said second corrugation beingseparated from the first corrugation by at least one corrugation, andmeans for progressively shortening the second ties whereby the sheet isbent to form said macro-corrugations.